Home Sweet Home!

This is the blog entry that most likely will never be read. Regardless I thought to give it a proper ending it should include an entry about our life back home.

I really want to thank every single person that took the time to follow our blog. Since our arrival back home, we have heard from people how much they enjoyed reading it and following along with our adventures in last eight months. This is amazing news to us... and never in our wildest dreams did we think so many people would be interested.

This blog has given us a chance to document our travels and in the future we will look back at it and hopefully re-live some of the things that we did.

Although it was at times hard work... I think I will truly miss this form of expression!

Home at last:

We had a very turbulent flight and we literally had hours of bumping around. It was a very long flight from Hong Kong... but we were thrilled to pass the time watching our personal t.v's.

It seemed surreal that we were heading back home to Toronto after all this time. We felt like it was another stop over and the reality of going back home for good hadn't quite settled in. We were excited about seeing our family, friends and of course our dog Reily-Buttons!

Since we had extended our ticket to accommodate the two weeks in Australia, my parents were on vacation and therefore could not pick us up from the airport. Thankfully my trusty cousin, Ian agreed to pick us up from the airport and drive us back to Oshawa (where we are currently staying.) Our flight was a few hours late, and Ian patiently waited for us in the parking lot until we called him after landing. It was one of those times in the airport where everything seemed to take forever.

Brrrrr:

While we were travelling in the oppressive heat... a VERY SMALL part of me was curious about what the cold weather would feel like, and secretly wished a few times that I could feel cold. I thought that I had forgotten what Canadian winter air felt like, but as soon as we exited the airport and I felt the sub zero temperature on my body... I instantly remembered the smell of the brisk air, the way it freezes your face and body.... the kind of cold Canadian air that no matter how hard you try to forget it, you just never can!

I immediately wished for the HEAT of Asia.

One of the first things my cousin Ian said to us in the car ride home from the airport was that it had not snowed yet.
Famous last words!
The following day we had a light snow fall and periodically it has snowed ever since... the pile of snow in our yard only getting bigger

The "shwa" AKA Oshawa:
So my parents moved to Oshawa about two years ago... into a sweet quaint (little) bungalow. It is almost 1/3 the size of their former home where I grew up in Brampton. It's a great size for a retired couple, but what about... two couples and a dog???

They were kind enough to let us live with them until we decide where we want to live.

The plan is to live in Oshawa for a few months... then move back to somewhere around the city again.

Work work work:
I was so fortunate to get a leave of absence from my work, so three days after our arrival back home... it was back to work for me!
I did lose some sleep in anticipation of my return to work... would I know how to do my job after so long???

Just like everyone told me, it was like riding a bike... you never can forget!

I work right in the heart of Toronto's financial district... it was only a 15 minute walk from our condo. Now that we are staying with my parents in Oshawa it is an hour train ride into the city... meaning I catch the 5:50am train and the 6:40pm train home after work.

What a change in schedule!!!

Somehow I am surviving it... and now I am a "commuter!" I too run at lightning speeds after work to catch the train on time!

Reunited and it feels so good!:

The following day after arriving back home, we drove to pick up our dog from Andrew's sisters house. It has been eight months since he has lived with us and we couldn't wait another minute to get him. It was a great reunion... and I am happy to report that he had an amazing time at his Auntie's house and the adjustment into life with us has gone smoothly and things feel back to normal. He currently is being completely spoiled by his "grandparents" and is thrilled with all the constant attention that he is receiving!

Pinch me, it must have been a dream:

Integration back into our daily normal life has gone smoothly. It literally feels like we picked up where we left off.

When people ask me "What it feels like to be home?" I say that "It feels like we never left."

Not in a bad way, but I find comfort in knowing that things back home didn't change a whole lot, so we feel like we didn't miss out on too much.

Our travels feel like an amazing dream....

something that has changed our life forever.....

it has affected us in so many ways that everytime I try to find the words to explain it... I can't.

It's our proof that anything can be possible and the sky is the limit for us!

~Nicola